Orange Polenta Cake – Malai Dulce

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a casserole dish, 28x18 cm/ 11x7 inches.

Step 2

Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.

Step 3

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.

Step 4

In a larger bowl beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, and 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ scant ¼ cup of the yogurt until pale and thick.

Step 5

Add the vegetable oil in a slow stream while beating all the time.

Step 6

Add the rest of the yogurt and beat for about 1 minute.

Step 7

Add the milk and mix shortly.

Step 8

Slowly add the cornmeal – semolina mixture mixing with a regular egg beater/whisk this time.

Step 9

Fold in the egg whites carefully.

Step 10

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Step 11

In the meantime make the orange syrup.

Step 12

Juice the oranges until you have about 100 ml/ ½ cup juice. Sieve the juice into a small pot, add the sugar and the lemon juice.

Step 13

When it starts to boil, remove immediately, you should have a rather thin syrup.

Step 14

When the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and prick it all over with a toothpick.

Step 15

Pour about ¾ of the syrup all over the cake and let the cake cool completely in the dish. I only needed about 75 ml/ 2.5 oz/ 1/3 cup to soak the cake. Measure this quantity first, use it and take more only if you find it necessary, you might like to add a bit more around the edges, should they be drier than the rest of the cake.

Step 16

When cool, cut the cake into squares, remove carefully from the baking dish and sprinkle with icing sugar. Decorate with orange wedges if you wish.